BYD may have wanted to become a leader in battery electric vehicles, but that plan is slowly and surely being pulled back in favor of a plug-in hybrid solution. Not only is that evident in the recent models they’ve launched in the Philippines, but elsewhere as well. Take for example the Atto 2 sub-compact EV which is now being made available with the brand’s Super DM-i powertrain.
Launched in early 2025 as a small BEV SUV, BYD is making a U-Turn here in a bid to further increase its sales globally, particularly in Europe (so much for the “cool the earth by one degree ethos.”) PHEVs, after all, is the fastest growing powertrain in Europe with a 54.5 percent increase in August alone and it’s clear that BYD wants a piece of that pie.
Wanting to replicate the Sealion 6 DM-i’s success, BYD is shoehorning a combustion engine under the Atto 2’s hood. This version is said to offer around 90 kilometers of EV range, and around 1,000 kilometers of combined range.
BYD hasn’t revealed the full specs so far, but they did confirm that it’ll come with different battery sizes and motor performance. Likely, this means using the Seal 5 DM-i powertrain resulting in outputs ranging from 179 horsepower to 197 horsepower and battery capacities between 8.3 kWh to 18.3 kWh.
The dino juice-powered engine aside, for its EV to PHEV transformation, the Atto 2 DM-i receives subtle design tweaks. There’s a larger grille (for engine cooling, naturally) and new decorative lower elements on the front bumper. This necessitated the removal of the side vents.
While the Atto 2 DM-i is a much-awaited new small SUV in Europe, it’s highly unlikely that BYD Cars Philippines will offer the Atto 2 DM-i locally. Its role is currently being fulfilled by the Sealion 5 DM-i. The more likely scenario is that the Chinese carmaker will simply shift supplying the Atto 2 EV from Europe to markets like the Philippines, something corroborated by its recent approved LTO homologation.
Local sales of BYD already shows its not ready for EV. but PHEV is not really an advantage until you realize the hassle of charging and fueling
ReplyDeleteHey, are you that same guy who commented in an older article here about the same 'hassle' of PHEVs? Because, if you are then you really didn't prove why it was a hassle with your replies to my questions. If you are not that same person, then would you please explain why you say it is a hassle?
DeleteUse it as a pure gas or a hybrid without charging it.
DeleteMakes sense. They're looking at demand and responding to it.
ReplyDeleteLess of a U-turn and maybe more of a detour since I'm sure a full EV future is still their end goal.
It's a win-win for BYD. They can make more smaller battery packs for DM-i models that sell and less of bigger packs for EVs with lower demand.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, BYD is following the footsteps of Toyota. Copycat, what the Chinese are known for.
ReplyDeleteIronically, that's truer thank you might think since Toyota started out by doing copycat stuff too 😄
DeleteAlthough, right now, Toyota's pretty slow on the battery side of things so they are more like... borrowing the shoes of BYD instead of following the footsteps, you could say? 🤣
Byd battery plus toyota legendary quality = big win for toyota. Byd battery plus byd low quality = loser
DeleteYou can say that the Chinese cars quality are bad but in China these things have reached 200k kilometers easy.
Delete@anon 12:19 AM
DeleteThat's such a teenager/fan boy type response lol
If BYD really sucked then the EU wouldn't have put extra tax on them or the US outright ban them through tariffs.
If their quality COULD NEVER EVER compete with Toyota or the other US/EU/JP brands then why would countries act this scared of them? They should let them into the market and show how often they break down, catch fire, etc. Because bad reputation kills easily.
To be honest, your cute little word formula has no weight on the actual goings-on in the world.
People run the market through their wallets. And there have been many car companies (in China but also in the west) that have failed because their products were crap and they did not last long.
So why has BYD lasted so long and sold millions? Is it Chinese gov't support/money? Or maybe their products are... (gasp!) good enough?
I'm not here to evangelize like they will take over the market but I'm just pointing out that, if you care to follow the business of cars, people should know the reality of where these companies stand right now.
Toyota and Suzuki borrows hybrid & EV technology and also batteries from BYD
DeleteToyota and their PHEV and EV technologies are way behind now that's why they need BYD.
Hybrids that arent Japanese cars are even worse. ICE engine reliability to consider, parts availability, plus long term battery degradation. Plus the fast technology innovation on EVs render the parts obsolete in no time. Also i dont trust Chinese brands, great features, shoddy parts underneath. Good luck with buying these cars
ReplyDeleteYou're free to choose whatever car brand you wanna buy but so many of the things you mentioned are just not true.
DeletePeople think batteries are gonna die just after warranty or something but the vast majority of old EVs (and also hybrids), even with high mileage, in the second had market (US and EU, specifically) still have battery capacity of >90% (and you'd be surprised how many are still at 100% when tested).
Also, saying that innovation will render your EV parts obsolete? Obsolete how, exactly? They barely need maintenance and it's not the EV bits that will routinely need replacing, those can stay in until the car dies in around 20 years. People are still driving really old EVs that only have like 100-150km full range are perfectly fine and unaffected by the newly released technology.
I'm not telling you you to trust Chinese brands but even the 'shoddy parts' comment doesn't really apply anymore (at least not in the general sense).
You can check the Australian YouTube channels that take apart/inspect Chinese cars (they mainly cover pickups and not EVs but it will still give you a good idea) and see that they point out that they use parts from trusted global brands.
The real 'shoddy' part would more likely be build quality/assembly. I remember one where they covered a JAC truck and showed that they use quality brand parts but the wiring and welding work was ugly (JAC is apparently a brand that is looked down upon even by the Chinese). But the others they cover are passable by their standards (though they do question some design decisions but that's a different story) and those kind of issues are unlikely to be present in EVs that are built in robotic assembly lines.
Again, they're not perfect or even the best (though many in the professional space argue they are when it comes to EVs - yes, even by the Japanese as they did tear apart a BYD Seal, made a detailed guide to its construction and awarded it best EV in Japan last year) and you're free to question them and buy a different brand but I'm just pointing out things I disagree with among the things you mentioned.